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98.6 Fahrenheit
- The average body temperature is 98.6 Fahrenheit (37 Celsius). But typical body temperature can range between 97 F (36.1 C) and 99 F (37.2 C) or more.
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Jun 25, 2024 · The average body temperature is 98.6 Fahrenheit (37 Celsius). But typical body temperature can range between 97 F (36.1 C) and 99 F (37.2 C) or more. Your body temperature can vary by how active you are, your age or the time of day. Most often, older people have lower body temperatures than younger people have.
- Children with relatively high fevers may not look or act particularly sick. Treating a fever depends on the degree of discomfort. If your child is...
- If your baby is less than 3 months old and has a fever, it's important to get medical help immediately.Seek medical care if a child of any age show...
- Adults with fevers of 103 F (39.4 C) or higher will generally look and act sick. The main goal of treatment is to relieve discomfort and help you g...
- Seek medical care if someone with a fever has any of the following signs and symptoms: 1. Difficulty breathing 2. Chest pain 3. Severe headache 4....
- Seek emergency medical care if your child has a fever after being left in a hot car or other such potentially dangerous situation and shows any of...
- Always use a digital thermometer to check someone's temperature. Various types are available: 1. Rectal thermometers are used in the rectum. 2. Ora...
- 1. Turn on the digital thermometer and dab petroleum jelly or another lubricant on the tip of the thermometer. 2. Lay the child on his or her stoma...
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Body temperatures vary slightly from person to person and at different times of day. The average temperature has traditionally been defined as 98.6 F (37 C). A temperature taken using a mouth thermometer (oral temperature) that's 100 F (37.8 C) or higher is generally considered to be a fever.
Depending on what's causing a fever, other fever signs and symptoms may include:
•Sweating
•Chills and shivering
•Headache
•Muscle aches
Infants and toddlers
A fever is a particular cause for concern in infants and toddlers. Call your baby's health care provider if your child is:
Children
There's probably no cause for alarm if your child has a fever but is responsive. This means your child makes eye contact with you and responds to your facial expressions and to your voice. Your child may also be drinking fluids and playing. Call your child's health care provider if your child:
Adults
Call your health care provider if your temperature is 103 F (39.4 C) or higher. Seek immediate medical attention if any of these signs or symptoms accompanies a fever:
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Typical body temperature is a balance of heat production and heat loss. An area in the brain called the hypothalamus (hi-poe-THAL-uh-muhs) — also known as your body's "thermostat" — monitors this balance. Even when you're healthy, your body temperature varies slightly throughout the day. It can be lower in the morning and higher in the late afternoon and evening.
When your immune system responds to disease, the hypothalamus can set your body temperature higher. This prompts complex processes that produce more heat and restrict heat loss. The shivering you might experience is one way the body produces heat. When you wrap up in a blanket because you feel chilled, you are helping your body retain heat.
Fevers below 104 F (40 C) associated with common viral infections, such as the flu, may help the immune system fight disease and are generally not harmful.
Fever or elevated body temperature might be caused by:
•A viral infection
•A bacterial infection
Children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years are at increased risk of a seizure that occurs during a fever (febrile seizure). About a third of the children who have one febrile seizure will have another one, most commonly within the next 12 months.
A febrile seizure may involve loss of consciousness, shaking of limbs on both sides of the body, eyes rolling back or body stiffness. Although alarming for parents, the vast majority of febrile seizures cause no lasting effects.
If a seizure occurs:
•Lay your child on the side or stomach on the floor or ground
•Remove any sharp objects that are near your child
•Loosen tight clothing
You may be able to prevent fevers by reducing exposure to infectious diseases. Here are some tips that can help:
•Get vaccinated as recommended for infectious diseases, such as influenza and COVID-19.
•Follow public health guidelines for wearing masks and social distancing.
•Wash your hands often and teach your children to do the same, especially before eating, after using the toilet, after spending time in a crowd or around someone who's sick, after petting animals, and during travel on public transportation.
•Show your children how to wash their hands thoroughly, covering both the front and back of each hand with soap and rinsing completely under running water.
•Carry hand sanitizer with you for times when you don't have access to soap and water.
•Mayo Clinic Minute: What to do and not do when your child has a viral fever
•Mayo Clinic Minute: Acetaminophen aids with fever, pain
•Fever treatment: Quick guide to treating a fever
•Thermometers: Understand the options
Apr 7, 2020 · How to take your temperature. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Always use a digital thermometer to check your temperature. Because of the potential for mercury exposure or ingestion, glass mercury thermometers have been phased out and are no longer recommended.
Apr 23, 2024 · A normal temperature for adults is in the range of 97 F to 99 F, and for children it is 95.9 F to 99.5 F. Higher temperatures than these are fevers and are caused by the body fighting...
Common knowledge states that a “normal” body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). But your baseline body temperature may vary by a degree or more. It also fluctuates. It’s typically lower in the morning and higher in the evening. It’s higher during certain points of your menstrual cycle and when you’re exercising.
You may have a high temperature if: your chest or back feel hotter than usual. you have other symptoms, such as shivering (chills), sweating or warm, red skin (this may be harder to see on black or brown skin) a thermometer says your temperature is 38C or above.
Jan 28, 2019 · The average normal temperature of a human body is 98.6 Fahrenheit (37 Celsius), but it's important to remember that it's just an average. "Body temperatures vary throughout the day," says Dr. Tosh. "Most people would say that the normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, but that’s actually the average normal body temperature.
